Daily life for small-scale women farmers in rural Zambia consists of an exhausting routine. Picture this: a Zambian woman and child are watering fields of crops every single day. With this image in your mind, how do you suppose they are completing this necessary task? It is not with advanced technology as you may initially think, but with buckets. This method is time consuming and physically exhausting, but there are alternatives: a solar-powered water pump can alleviate the burden of this chore.
How does this technology work? It’s simple: the solar panels generate electricity from sunlight, which is then directed towards a water pump that will draw water from a connected source. This sustainably-powered system allows crops to be irrigated year-round, regardless of weather conditions.
At The Harvest Fund, we are hands-on in helping women farmers in Zambia. We have seen how difficult it is for them to truly thrive when manual labor takes up so much of their day, and they have to tend to crops, cook, and care for their families without access to electricity or running water. Surviving on limited resources in a sub-tropical climate that is arid most of the year limits their freedom. With this new technology, time spent carrying water buckets from a faraway source, typically a manually dug well or stream, can be redirected towards other activities, providing women with more opportunities to provide for their families and build a better future.
Environmental sustainability refers to the practice of existing in harmony with the natural world without compromising its ecological health. Think of environmental sustainability as a partnership where both sides are helpful to one another. Our farmers use climate friendly methods, such as solar powered water pumps, to maintain their crops and in return they are not causing any harm to their climate. Employing environmentally conscious farming methods contributes to the health of their land for generations to come.
Empowering Marginalized Women with Solar Energy
Instead of demanding payment upfront, we co-invest with our farmers by purchasing solar-powered water pumps through a flexible financing plan that the farmers are able to repay whenever they are able to. Collaborating with them in this way allows us to support their success while ensuring access to this vital technology.
Achieving empowerment starts with addressing gender inequality. For our Zambian farmers, that means revolutionizing their time-to-labor ratio. As we mentioned earlier, manual labor tasks such as tending to crops and homemaking are the responsibility of the women and children in Zambia. Energy for each day is exhausted on predetermined chores that are not completed with modern tools. The purpose of the solar-powered water pumps provided to these women isn’t only for their farms, but they also serve as a way of breaking their marginalized statuses in their communities. Time that was once spent irrigating fields manually is now redirected towards education, personal endeavors, and ensuring the prosperity of their crops. Sustainable energy is supporting their steps towards an empowered reality.
Reducing time spent in the fields also paves the way for Zambian women and children to become stronger players in the local economy. As sustainable, solar powered practices become widespread in these rural communities, more opportunities will arise for women farmers who gain the ability to generate their own income and therefore achieve financial independence.
From Survival to Sustainability
Assisting underserved women farmers in obtaining solar power technologies is about more than environmental sustainability. It is about uplifting women, and their children, from a life burdened by manual labor. Solar powered irrigation allows them to reclaim their time, future, and potential. At The Harvest Fund, we’re not just giving them a fighting chance, we’re powering their future.